


To feed the soul

by LazyButSmexy



Category: One Piece
Genre: Domestic, Fluff, Gen, Mention of injuries, OP Secret Santa 2020, Slice of Life, There's food in this one, no graphic descriptions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:20:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28363800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LazyButSmexy/pseuds/LazyButSmexy
Summary: When a dark cloud invades the minds and moods of the Heart Pirates as a whole, Juno knows exactly what to do to sweep them away: chocolate chip cookies and hot chocolate.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 7
Collections: OP Secret Santa 2020





	To feed the soul

**Author's Note:**

> This is my gift to Arianne! Happy Holidays!  
> I hope I made your OC Juno appropriately. As I wrote about her, the more I liked her.  
> I hope this is to your liking!

The scenery outside the windows of the submarine was dark and silent. Usually, this meant that they were underwater, deep enough for the sunlight to be swallowed by the depth of the ocean. This time, however, they were docked at a winter island. 

Juno tried to follow the slow dance of the snowflakes to the ground. The snowfall, albeit slow, was copious and never-ending, seemingly covering the night in a thick, white curtain. The air she exhaled fogged the window slightly, and in the distance, deep within the submarine, a continuous clanking noise was heard. 

They had docked at the island two days prior, something quite unusual for the Heart Pirates, who thanks to the infamy of their captain never stayed at an island more than strictly necessary. On this occasion, however, urgent repairs needed to be done after an unfortunate run-in with the marines. Something about the boiler and an engine that suffered from overpressure, and the outer layer having received one too many cannonballs. 

"One more strike, and the whole Polar Tang would've imploded on us when we submerged", Shachi had explained to her. It seemed pretty serious, not only from the explanation but also from the expressions of the mechanics who assessed the damage. Law had decided to play it safe and dock as soon as possible and for as long as needed, to give the mechanical team time to work their magic on the vessel, and bring her back to top-notch condition. There were also some injured crew, who were being tended to by the captain, Ikakku and Loran. Their injuries must have been serious because Juno had not seen them since the battle, and Law spent most of his time in the sick bay with them. 

The past two days, although thankfully uneventful, were filled with a constant tension. At every meal turn, the usually preppy and giddy crew was mostly silent. The daily playful banter was replaced by discussions on how to deal with the damage, the leaks, the seemingly enormous task ahead of them. Law was always quiet during meals, but this time he hadn't even eaten in the common room, choosing instead to eat in his office which was separated from the sick bay by just a sliding door. The crew only saw such behavior from him when he was truly worried about the condition of someone under his watch. The last time Juno took his meals to his office was when Strawhat Luffy was under anaesthesia there.

Juno exhaled a little harsher, the fog covering nearly the whole window. She didn't like the dark mood that had settled in the Polar Tang. It felt heavy, slowly drowning everyone in misery. She wanted to help somehow, but she knew nothing about mechanical engineering, and her knowledge of human bodies was still only relevant to her own circumstances as a half-fishman. Although she prided herself in her pottery, it would not be useful in any way to start throwing clay now, and cooking…

Juno stopped her train of thought with a screech and straightened herself. "Of course!," she grinned to herself and headed back to the kitchen. She jogged excitedly towards the walk-in pantry, knowing that she had all the necessary ingredients. She had to bend over a little to get in, as usual, and then rummaged around until she found the box she was looking for.

With a little hum, she left the box on her work station while she went and got her apron and fixed her hair back with a scarf. She would start with the dough for the cookies, as it took the longest time to prepare. 

They were her own Special Chocolate Chip Cookies, which she would make only on special occasions to add to the air of mystery. She would even make some with a flour substitute just for Law, without it changing the flavour at all. The mystery of the Special Chocolate Chip Cookies was just as alluring as their taste, and no one who had ever tried them tasted anything remotely similar for the rest of their lives. Needless to say, Juno was very proud of her cookies, and knew for sure they would lift the darkness that had settled in the Polar Tang. 

A few minutes later, the first batch was already in the oven. Juno quickly got the second batch ready to go, before turning to make the chocolate milk because as tasty as the Special Chocolate Chip Cookies were, they were even more delicious when accompanied by a mug of hot chocolate. 

Soon enough, the scent of the cookies invaded the kitchen, and Juno was sure that the ventilation system would carry that scent all around the vessel, alerting everyone that something good was coming. Just the thought of the mechanical team becoming aware of the mouth-watering smell made her giddy with anticipation. 

As soon as the first batch was ready, the second batch went in, and not long after, the hot chocolate was ready, too. Juno switched the stove off and began preparing plates, napkins and mugs for her little quest to deliver the tasty treats around the submarine. The little cart she had convinced Law to buy for her a few months prior would come in handy for this little adventure.

As soon as the second batch was ready, Juno plated all the cookies and filled the mugs, carefully balancing them on the cart. Satisfied with her handy work, she slowly began pushing the cart out of the kitchen.

Her first stop was the common room, which was closer to the kitchen. She spotted Jean Bart there, talking to Clione and Uni. They had been on break and gravitated towards the common room after the scent of cookies and hot chocolate. Juno happily gave them their steaming mugs and cookies, before pushing the cart out of the common room and into the hallway. 

The control room was the closest to the common room, besides a couple of storage closets. She knew there would be someone there, as the radars and wheel were never left unattended. She found Finn there, completely absorbed by his report on the log, and most likely making funny faces behind his white mask. Bepo was also there, drawing a chart of the island they were docked at. Both perked up as soon as the scent of cookies and chocolate invaded the area. Juno handed them their mugs and cookies, and Bepo loudly thanked her and gave her a little hug. Finn's thanks were more polite as he took the treats from her, but she knew he was smiling widely beneath the mask. She knew he would wait for her to leave before taking off his mask to eat, so she quickly pushed the cart away to not keep him from his treat any longer. 

Next up was the captain's office, a little further away from the common room. Law had strictly forbidden any food or drink that wasn't part of the patients' meals at the sick bay, so they would more likely accept the treats in the office. Three short knocks alerted Law inside, and as soon as he said enter and the door creaked open, the scent of the cookies and chocolate waltzed in. Law was not a man who would ever admit that he had a sweet tooth, but Juno knew better, and she had to hold back her grin when she noticed that his shoulders stilled as he tried not to shoot up from his chair at the sight of the treats. Ikkaku and Loran were less held back, though, and they peeked through the infirmary door before rushing into the office as quietly as they could. Law hissed at them to shut the connecting door before eating. Once that was done, they all received a mug and a plate with cookies.

"How are they…?" Juno inquired as she glanced at the sick bay, worried about those who had been there for the past two days.  
"Some burns, a broken leg, broken ribs, and a cracked skull," Law counted down as he sipped his chocolate, "none is particularly life-threatening at the moment, but it's better to keep them here under watch and sedated than letting them get infections in their rooms."

Juno nodded and left another plate with cookies on his desk. "For the patients," Juno grinned, "as soon as they're able to."

Law nodded as he took a bite of his flourless cookie, a tiny sigh the only evidence that he loved the treat. Ikkaku moaned happily as the chocolate chips melted in her mouth, and Loran all but burned himself with the hot chocolate from sipping it too fast. Juno grinned satisfied at their reactions, and waved at them before exiting, receiving three sets of thank you's as she shut the door after herself. 

The next stop was the treasure room. It was one of its walls that had received the cannonball damage, so a lot was going on in there. All but a few empty crates and chests from the treasure had been moved to another room to make space for the repair team, led by Shachi. The loudest clanking noises came from there, and they rang in her ears as she got closer. As she knocked on the door, she didn't expect to be heard, but all four people in there whipped their heads in her direction so fast she worried they would get whiplash. 

"I knew it!," Shachi all but squealed, "I told you I smelled something chocolate near the vents!" 

Satel and Bert nearly jumped from the wall, and Nigel carefully put down the welding equipment before joining the rest. They dragged some wooden crates and empty chests to use as makeshift stools and a table, creating a small break room within the mess made by strewn tools and metal plaques. Juno handed them a mug each and a plate of cookies for the four of them along with napkins, and looked at the wall they were fixing, commenting on their handiwork. 

"You didn't get to see it when we first got here," Satel said with his mouth half-full, "it was truly scary."  
"Yeah," Nigel paused to take a sip of his chocolate before he went on, "now it's almost back to how it's supposed to look."  
"Thank you for the cookies and chocolate, Juno," Shachi grinned up at her, "we needed this break."  
"Thank you for your hard work, guys," Juno smiled at them and waved goodbye before pushing the cart towards the hallways again, "don't be late for dinner!" 

The final stop was the engine room. Juno had rarely been there before, but she knew exactly where it was. She only needed to walk deep into the submarine, and follow the low hum of the engines and the whistling sound of the boiler releasing pressure. The mechanism always sounded too complicated to her, and she couldn't help but get lost in Penguin and Tino's explanations. She would just nod along and let them do their thing without disturbing them. However, none of these guys could soft-boil an egg like she could, or toast bread without turning it into charcoal. 

"I guess that's what makes a crew," she mused to herself, "we all have our specialties."

The scent of the treats she carried were nearly overpowered by the steam and the smell of burnt oil. To her surprise, though, the entire mechanical team went to the hallway to meet her. They were already cleaning their hands with their rags, although some oil splatter reached their faces too. Penguin walked up to her first with a wide grin.

"We could smell the cookies and chocolate through the vents," he explained as he adjusted his hat, "so we decided to wait here where we can eat without so many smells from the engines."

Juno nodded and began passing out the mugs. "I was worried the smell would get lost in that room, but I'm glad you guys are taking a break now," she took a napkin and wiped a large oil stain from Penguin's cheek, causing him to blush, "I don't want to take up much of your time, though."  
"No worries!" Heron waved her off while taking a bite of his cookie, "everything is working well now."  
Felly nodded and took a long sip of his chocolate, unknowingly staining his mustache, before adding, "we're running endurance tests now, just to make sure."  
"That's good news, then?"  
"Yeah, everything is running smoothly now." Penguin finished off with a large bite of his cookie, and Juno took her leave.  
"Good work, guys!," she waved as she began pushing the now empty cart back up the hallway, "see you at dinner!" 

A small chorus of yeah's and thank you's echoed through the hallways as Juno walked back to the kitchen. Thinking back to all those who received the treats, she felt satisfied, knowing that she was partly the cause of their lifted spirits. The mood around the Polar Tang had changed significantly, and she had contributed to that. With her chest filled with fondness and pride, she began to hum a little tune and plan in her head what to make for dinner.


End file.
